He Left the Ring. Now Tommy Phillips Is Building a Wrestling Territory in Alpharetta

Tommy Phillips can trace his wrestling life to a match playing on television while he sat beside his father. By 17, he was training. By 18, he was traveling, eventually appearing with WWE and TNA and wrestling around the country as Shawn Shultz.

Now 43, Phillips is returning to the business from a distinctly North Atlanta direction. He works as a physician liaison for FYZICAL Therapy and Balance Centers in South Forsyth, recently earned a marketing degree and is preparing to launch Georgia Pro Wrestling at Phase Events in Alpharetta.

The promotion’s first show is scheduled for Nov. 20 in the 175-seat Heritage Hall. Phillips envisions something larger than a single evening: a recurring, family-friendly promotion built around local wrestlers, young talent, community partnerships and the sense of ownership that once defined wrestling’s regional territory era.

I spoke with Phillips by email about the long road back to wrestling, why he chose Alpharetta and what he hopes families will find when Georgia Pro Wrestling opens its doors. The interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

Take us back to the beginning. What first made you love professional wrestling?

My first memory is watching Hulk Hogan versus Earthquake on television with my dad. He wasn’t a big wrestling fan, but he sat down to watch that match, and I sat down with him. I was hooked from that point forward.

I started wrestling at 17, trained in East Tennessee and was traveling by 18. By 2004, I was working for TNA and WWE as extra talent. I continued wrestling across the country under the name Shawn Shultz, both on the independent circuit and during multiple runs with WWE and TNA.

When did Georgia Pro Wrestling change from an idea into something you were determined to build?

The planning began around 2019. I stopped wrestling in early 2018, and I knew at that point that I eventually wanted to run my own promotion.

I went back to school in my 40s for a bachelor’s degree in marketing so I could bring that education back to the wrestling world. What finally pushed me to take real steps was honestly just prayer. I had all of this on my mind, and I felt that if I waited until I was “ready,” I would be waiting forever. So I started taking steps, and things began falling into place.

Who is involved in building and operating GPW?

Right now, it is a small team, primarily just me. I do have a content partner, Oz Collins, who is 18 and still in high school. I connected with his father, Justin, on LinkedIn when I first started talking about GPW. Justin’s family ran a small wrestling promotion in East Tennessee, and that conversation led to me learning that Oz had just won a scholarship for content creation.

Oz now handles our content creation, including the roster-reveal videos. He will lead that work once we begin filming our YouTube episodes.

Ramsha Kahn is our event host. She works in finance in Alpharetta and also works as a DJ. Her energy and passion come through every time you speak with her. I’m excited for GPW fans to get to know her.

My wife does not have a production or business role in the promotion. She is a registered nurse, and her involvement will be as our on-site medical support, looking after the safety of performers and spectators.

You and your wife both work in health care around Fulton and Forsyth counties. How has that shaped your connection to the community?

That work has taught me a great deal about speaking with people from different backgrounds. I came from wrestling and have also worked in health and fitness since 2012, so I was already familiar with building relationships within a community. Working specifically in health care has deepened that.

I have lived in several places over the years, and this is one of the few areas that has truly felt like home. Much of that comes from the way the community supports local events and businesses. When it was time to start my first full-time independent wrestling promotion, this area was the natural fit.

Why did you choose Alpharetta and Phase Events for the debut?

I was looking at several venues, and one fell through. While searching, I came across an advertisement for Phase Events that showed an MMA cage set up inside the space. That told me they would be able to accommodate something like professional wrestling, so it really was a perfect storm.

Professional wrestling also has deep roots in Georgia, from Georgia Championship Wrestling to the NWA and WCW around Atlanta. That history fits what I’m building with GPW. The territory theme tells people that this is their wrestling, built locally from the ground up rather than dropped in from somewhere else. So many talented people in the business still see Georgia as a place where they want to succeed.

What are you trying to bring back from the territory era—and what must change for 2026?

I don’t think much needs to be reinvented. What I want to restore is the connection people once had with their local promotion. Technology and national exposure have changed how quickly something can grow, but I still believe fans want wrestling that feels like it belongs to their area.

Memphis had Jerry “The King” Lawler, Knoxville had Buddy Landel and the Carolinas had Ric Flair. I want Georgia to have that again through GPW.

That is part of the thinking behind one of our tag teams, the ATL Squad. The name connects Atlanta with ambition, teamwork and loyalty. We want fans to feel that these are their wrestlers, connected to their community and its local businesses.

What can GPW offer that fans cannot get from televised wrestling?

The feeling of knowing the wrestlers—and knowing that it is genuinely family-friendly entertainment that parents do not have to worry about.

We will have full production value at Phase Events, including LED screens, projection screens and lighting rigs. It should look like something you would watch on television, but it will be happening right down the road, where you can feel the energy in person.

We are also keeping the schedule tight, running from around 7 to 11 p.m., so families can get their children home at a decent hour without sacrificing a full night of entertainment.

Why did you choose Jeremiah Plunkett and CJ Gallows for the roster?

Both are confirmed for the Nov. 20 debut. Plunkett is the kind of performer who could be dropped into a story on “Monday Night Raw” and make people care. He is also skilled enough to get a genuine reaction from 25 people who do not want to be the first ones to make noise. Getting a small crowd to react can honestly be harder than working in front of a few thousand people. Plunkett has that ability, along with the composure to perform for a much larger audience.

CJ Gallows fits the roster I am building perfectly. His father was in the business and recently appeared on television, so many current fans know the name. CJ brings passion, determination, athleticism and that family legacy into the ring as a young talent trying to reach the next level.

Most of the card will feature younger talent, with a handful of veterans such as Plunkett helping to mentor them.

How many matches are planned for the first show?

The debut card will have six matches: one tag-team match, one women’s match and four singles matches.

The main event will be announced soon. We will continue releasing roster announcements every one to two weeks until the full roster has been revealed.

What will “family-friendly” mean in practice?

There will be no foul or questionable language and no sexual or overly risqué storylines. Our stories will be relatable but always appropriate for families.

We are also launching a youth ambassador program and partnering with local dance studios so children can accompany wrestlers to the ring during their entrances before being safely returned to their parents.

The wrestlers will have tables for meet-and-greets throughout the show, alongside vendor booths operated by local businesses. Fans will not have to pay extra, arrive early or wait until the show is over to meet the roster. When the wrestlers are not in a match, they will be out front meeting people.

What standards must wrestlers meet, and what safety measures will be in place?

Independent wrestling operates largely on an honor system regarding physical readiness, built on trust and communication with wrestlers who are actively working.

Beyond that, I look for young talent who are hungry, coachable and understand the family-friendly standard we are building. My wife, a registered nurse, will be present as our medical support. GPW will also bring its own security, as required by Phase Events.

How will GPW help younger wrestlers develop beyond one event?

We will not offer in-house training right now, but we intend to run events regularly.

I am looking to build relationships with local wrestling schools, including Cody Rhodes’ Nightmare Factory, along with other reputable schools in the area. I also have relationships developed over more than 20 years in the industry, including connections with larger promotions. I am glad to put in a good word for talent doing great work.

How will GPW’s pledge to return 10% of its profits to the community work?

Nothing has been finalized for the debut event’s charity partner. My heart is with causes serving older people and children, which connects with the work I do outside wrestling.

We are holding a Thanksgiving food drive at the debut event, and I have reached out to several possible charity partners, but nothing is confirmed yet.

How often do you hope to hold events?

The debut is Nov. 20. Phase Events and I will meet during the week after Thanksgiving to discuss the next steps, with a tentative return in January.

If that goes well, we hope to run a show every couple of months. That is also when we plan to begin filming our episodic YouTube series, “Between the Ropes.”

Heritage Hall holds 175 people. Once we are consistently filling that room, we will consider moving into the larger 600-seat auditorium in the same building.

What kinds of North Atlanta business partnerships are you seeking?

Conversations are underway, but nothing is finalized, so I would rather not name anyone prematurely.

Health and wellness are close to my heart, making fitness facilities, nutrition businesses and recovery services natural partners. I am also interested in interactive vendor booths that give fans something to do before the show and between matches.

I do not want sponsorships to mean simply putting a logo on a flyer. I want genuine partnerships, including commentary integrations during our YouTube match broadcasts, so the sponsor becomes part of the memory of the match itself.

That idea comes from personal experience. My first wrestling pay-per-view was SummerSlam 1994, which I watched with my dad in our living room. Domino’s was the sponsor, and my mother ordered pizza while we watched The Undertaker return to face an impostor Undertaker. I am 43 now, and I still say Domino’s is my favorite pizza because of that memory. That is the kind of lasting connection I want to build for our local partners.

When you wake up on Nov. 21, what would make you feel that the debut succeeded?

Honestly, not losing a lot of money would be the practical measure. More than that, feedback from the talent and fans means the world to me. I have run independent events before, but nothing structured to operate regularly like GPW. This is my passion and what I know better than anything else.

If I can build something sustainable that provides for my family while giving back to the community, that is success.

Georgia Pro Wrestling’s debut is scheduled for 7 p.m. Nov. 20 at Phase Events, 12150 Morris Road in Alpharetta. Seated tickets are $30, standing tickets are $20 and tickets for children 10 and younger are $15. Phillips said members of the free Georgia Pro Club can receive a $5 discount on adult tickets. Tickets and additional event information are available through the Georgia Pro Wrestling event page.

About the Author

Tsvi Jolles

Author, Editor & Publisher

Tsvi Jolles is the author of seven books and the founder and publisher of North Atlanta Star. He has lived in Cumming for almost a decade.

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